Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach’s office for selecting this Commencement matter for debate. Coincidentally I attended an information session on Zoom this morning from St. Joseph's Patrician College, better known as "The Bish", in the heart of Galway city. The school has announced exciting plans for the development of the school. It will move to Dangan and a planning permission application for a 1,000 pupil school design is due to be lodged in April. This is badly needed to provide additional capacity for the growing population of Galway. I wish the school well in its endeavours.

I raised matters pertaining to school accommodation issues in June 2021, especially the need to examine the case for providing a secondary school in the Moycullen area. At that stage, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, stated in response:

The Department has identified a significant volume of current or planned unused capacity in schools in Galway city....This capacity across schools in Galway city is expected to be sufficient to address projected emerging requirements in that school planning area as well as to facilitate a continuation of the enrolment patterns from primary schools in the Moycullen area.

The issue of lack of school places from this September is real. Based on information from parents who have contacted me, not only in Moycullen, but also in other areas of Galway city, the schools are full. We have seen a sea-change in the response from the Department in June 2021 and the reality on the ground facing parents and pupils for this coming September. I have been contacted by parents who say they have been told that no place is available. There are waiting lists in city schools and it is unlikely those parents will find a place for their children in the city schools. This is a real problem in the community that needs to be addressed.

This is especially prominent in the western environs of Galway city. Parents of one pupil told me they had applied to five schools for their son, he had not been accepted anywhere and he is placed extremely low on the waiting list for each school. The waiting list figures may have changed but at that stage there were waiting lists of up to 160 in Coláiste Mhuire Mháthair, of 360 in Coláiste Éinde, 148 in Galway Educate Together Secondary School, 91 in Coláiste Iognáid and 99 in The Bish. The parents were told that there was a low chance of getting into those schools. They have contacted the education and welfare services to notify them of the lack of available places. These are real issues.

I understand that responses have to be given to parents, but advising parents in Moycullen or other areas west of Galway city that there is capacity in Athenry, Headford or Loughrea which are across the city and further, is not realistic. It is an insult to parents. There is a real and immediate need for additional capacity in the existing school system in Galway city for the coming September.

I look forward to hearing the Minister of State's response. I hope it will indicate that the Department of Education is taking this issue seriously and recognises this is an issue of importance on the ground for this September. We cannot have a situation when we see deadlines for school bus tickets approaching that parents are unable to apply because they cannot indicate whether there is a school place or what school their child might go to. This is a real issue on the ground that needs to be resolved. I hope the Minister of State will be able to go back to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to the Minister, Deputy Foley, and to the Department looking for a timely update and action to solve this problem.